Master door operator hatch door closure

ABSTRACT

Positive hatch door closing is assured in an elevator master door operator system. If the hatch door does not lock within one second after the close limit switch opens the circuit on the master door operator, the close limit switch is bypassed allowing the master door operator to drive the hatch doors until the lock indication is received. When driving beyond the close limit of the car gate, the counterweight on the vertically movable gate is slowly raised. Means are provided to slowly lower the counterweight thereby returning the car mounted portion of the drive coupling between the car door operator and the hatch door operator to the normal closed position after the hatch door lock indication is received.

United States Patent [72} Inventors [21 Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee [54] MASTER DOOR OPERATOR HATCH DOOR 2,996,152 8/1961 Olexson 3.065.826 11/1962 Tucker Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby Attorneys-A. T. Stratton, C. L. Freedman and Richard V.

Westerhoff ABSTRACT: Positive hatch door closing is assured in an elevator master door operator system. If the hatch door does not lock within one second after the close limit switch opens CLOSURE h h d h I h 20 Claims 3 Drawing Figs. e circuit on t e master oor operator, t e c ose imit switc is bypassed allowing the master door operator to drive the Cl l87/52 hatch doors until the lock indication is received. When driving Cl a B6611 13/00 beyond the close limit of the car gate, the counterweight on ofsearch 52, the vertically movable gate is lowly raised Means are pro- 51 vided to slowly lower the counterweight thereby returning the car mounted portion of the drive coupling between the car [56] References door operator and the hatch door operator to the normal UNITED STATES PATENTS closed position after the hatch door lock indication is 2,034,415 3/1936 Parvin 187/52 received.

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' T -2SEC 4 -|sEc 4M L T XT PCH- l 9' A x I Q Mvv a R2 R3 OPEN 000R:- v PATTERN] Rl Cl i GENERATOR 4 DIFFERRENTIAL AMPLIFIER "PATT." PATTERN I cm SELECTOR CLOSE v v oL-. I DIRECTION I -SUPPLY CONTROL T XT-l CP! CLOSE DOOR CAR I OPEN T PATTERN DOOR -.'Wv DIRECTION GENERATOR CLOSED A T| CONTROL BACK MA EMF CAR HATCH SCR k BRIDGE COUPLING couP| |Ne--'3Qgg: Ac CIRCUITS DEVICE DEVICE POWER MOTOF; 2 SUPPLY FIELD HATCH $7 T, LOCKED 'DRIVE CAR TAssEMBLY DOOR MASTER DOOR OPERATOR HATCH DOOR CLOSURE CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS US. Pat. No. 3.447,637 issued to Harry Berkovitz on Jun. 3. 1969 describes in detail a master door operator for biparting vertically opening elevator hatch door. Although the present invention may be applied to other types of master door opera tors. the preferred embodiment of the invention will be described as applied to the system therein disclosed. Therefore. that application is hereby incorporated by reference into this application for the purpose of describing in detail a working embodiment of the invention.

In addition, the preferred embodiment of the invention utilizcs a speed-controlled motor drive such as that described in US. Pat. No. 3.376.486 which is also hereby incorporated by reference into this application as to details of suitable motor control circuits.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the closing of doors in transportation systems wherein a single door operator mounted on the vehicle is effective to operate not only the vehicle door but also the station door at each station at which the vehicle stops. Although aspects of the invention are applicable to various vehicular systems. it is particularly suitable for vertical transportation systems and will be described as applied to an elevator system.

2. Description of the Prior Art It has long been a practice to employ master door operators in elevator systems. Utilizing the car door motor to also open the hatch doors eliminates the need for separate motor drives for each set of hatch doors. A great deal of effort has been expended in developing simple reliable systems for selectively coupling the car door motor to the appropriate hatch door when the doors are to be opened. The most satisfactory coupling drive in use today utilizes a vertical vane carried on the horizontally opening car door which passes through vertical jaws on each set of horizontally opening hatch doors as the car moves up and down in the hoistway. When the doors are to beopened, the horizontal movement of the vertical vane with the car door engages the jaw on the appropriate hatch door so that both sets of doors are opened simultaneously. Such vane drives have been almost universally adopted for use with horizontally opening doors. and schemes have now been developed for applying horizontally moving vanes for operating vertically opening hatch doors. US Pat. No. 2.235.384 and the patent of Bcrkovitz incorporated by reference into this application for the purpose of describing a working embodiment of the subject invention disclose examples of such systems.

' Regardless of the form of the coupling utilized in the master door operator, rapid door closing is generally desirable to speed the transportation of goods or persons between landings. However. means must be provided to slow down the speed of the doors as they approach the fully closed or fully open position to prevent excessive wear through continual slamming of the doors and to provide quieter operation. This deceleration can be accomplished by cutting off the current at an appropriate point short of the fully open or closed position and allowing the friction of the system to cause the doors to coast to a stop, or else to progressively reduce the torque of the door motor to effect a slow down. The problem is further complicated by the fact that it is a fairly standard requirement of state and municipal codes that the hatch doors be locked when the car is not located at the associated landing. Variapredetermined time after the door reaches a pointjust short of being fully closed. This is only a partial solution to the problem. however. Since a certain amount of play must be provided between the vane and the jaws of the hatch door operators when the doors are closed so that the vane may pass vertically through the jaws of the hatch door operators without interference as the car moves up and down in the hoistway. the hatch doors must complete the final phase of closing and locking through their own momentum. If there is enough friction in the system so that the doors stall. even though the above-mentioned patent will ensure that the car door closes. enough momentum will probably not be developed to close and lock the hatch doors.

It is, therefore. an object of the invention to provide an improved master door operator mechanism.

It is another object of the invention to provide a positive door locking mechanism for a master door operator.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a positive door locking mechanism for a master door operator which becomes operative. if the hatch door is not closed within a predetermined time after the car door is closed. to continue driving the doors in the closed direction until the hatch door indicates locked.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a positive door locking mechanism as described in the previous objeet which will return the master door operator to the normal closed position after the hatch door has indicated locked.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved method of assuring that elevator hatch doors operated by a force applied through a car mounted coupling are positively closed.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description. taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention means are provided in a master door operator system to check for door locking. If this does not occur within a predetermined time after a door closed indication is received, the door operator drives beyond the normal closed limit until the locking indication is received. The master door operator coupling mechanism then returns to the normal close limit position. so that it will be aligned for engagement with other individual door operating mechanisms.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as applied to an elevator system, the door closed indication is generated by the closure of the car door. If the hatch door does not lock within one second after the car door closes. a lost motion connection between the car door and the master door operator permits the latter to continue driving the hatch door in the closed direction until it locks while the car door remains stationary in the closed position. 1

In the embodiment of the invention to be described in detail, the counterweight on a vertically movable car door or gate is utilized to return the drive coupling to the normal close limit position, however. electrical means could be employed alternatively. When the car gate is closed, continued driving in the closed direction raises the counterweight. Electrical circuits control the acceleration when driving beyond the close limit. When the hatch door is locked, the counterweight returns the drive coupling to the normal closed position. To prevent the dropping of the weight which would occur if power to the motor were suddenly cutoff, the pattern voltage is slowly decreased to allow for slow lowering of the counterweight.

Since it is possible that the gate could jam thereby allowing the counterweight to rise to a considerable height from which it would be dropped when the fuses on the motor blow out. a cable is fastened to the bottom of the gate and to the bottom of the counterweight. Sufficient slack is left in this cable to allow for the counterweight to be lifted the maximum distance required by' the tolerances of the system to provide for positive hatch door locking. A floating pulley with a weight attached normally takes up this slack.

Another embodiment of the invention permits the car door to overtravel beyond the fully closed position rather than remaining stationary at that point when the hatch door must be driven further in order to lock. In such an arrangement biasing means are provided to return the car door and the portion of the master drive coupling attached to it to the normal car door closed position after the hatch door is fully closed. Such biasing means could be electrical but a spring or other resilient device could be utilized. In fact the leading edge of the door and/or the jamb against which it abuts could be constructed of a resilient material which would permit overtravel but would return the door to the normal closed position after the hatch door was fully closed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a schematic diagram of an elevator master door operator system embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed drawing of the hatch door locking mechanism including the interlock; and

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram ofa system embodying the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of the invention will be shown as applied to the master door operator mechanism disclosed in the Berkovitz patent previously identified. Only those features of the system necessary for an understanding of the subject invention will be described.

FIG. I schematically illustrates the operation of the system. The single piece vertically movable car gate 27 is provided with support arms 29 and 31 near the lower edge thereof. To the support arm 31 is connected a cable 67 which is wound on a drum 65. The support arm 29 is connected to a chain 59 which passes over the sprocket wheel 57. The sprocket wheel 57 and the drum 65 are connected to a shaft 63 to which is also connected the pulley 55. The pulley 55 is connected to the car door operator 300 through the belt 47. The car door operator 300 includes a reversible motor and a pulley and belt speed reduction assembly. The chain 59 is also connected to the counterweight 61 which in turn is connected to the support arm 29 through the cable 310. Slack in the cable 310 is taken up by the floating pulley 311 which is free to slide vertically in the slot 314 in the bracket 313. A weight 312 tends to maintain the pulley 311 near the bottom of the slot 314.

A small sprocket wheel 71 is also connected to the shaft 63. A chain 75 is reeved around the sprocket wheel 71 and a second sprocket wheel 73 spaced aft of the sprocket wheel 71 on the top of the elevator car. The ends of the chain 75 are connected to a carriage 191 and affixed to the carriage 191 are two ramp cams 203 and 205. When the carriage 191 approaches the full forward position the cam 203 causes the cam follower 211 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction thereby effecting the operation of the close pattern generator 207. The close pattern generator 207 also includes the close limit switch which indicates that the car gate is in the closed position. A cam 205 engages a cam follower 213 causing it to rotate in a clockwise direction as the carriage I91 approaches the full aft position. The cam follower 213 is connected to the open door pattern generator 209 which also includes the open limit switch. Also mounted on the carriage 191 is the vertical vane 77 which forms part of the coupling device.

As the elevator car travels up and down in the hatchway, the vane 77 passes through the jaws formed by the driving blocks 83 and 85 on the carriage 81 located at each landing. When the car stops at a landing the vane 77 comes to rest between the drive blocks 83 and 85 of the carriage 81 associated with the hatch door operator at that landing. A chain 87 connected to the carriage 81 is reeved around sprocket wheels 89 and 91. The sprocket wheel 91 is connected by a shaft 93 to the sprocket wheel 95. A chain 97 passes over the sprocket wheel 95 and is connected to the upper and lower sections of the biparting hatch doors 21 and 23 through support arms 35 and 33. The support arms 33 and 35 are also connected by a cable 98 which passes over the pulley 501.

When the elevator car stops at a floor at which the doors are to be opened. the motor in the car door operator 300 begins to turn so as to move the belt 47 in a counterclockwise direction. As a result the shaft 63 and consequently the sprocket wheel 57 and the drum 65 are also caused to turn in a counterclockwise direction. The cable 67 is therefore wound on the drum 65 while the chain 59 causes the gate 27 to be raised and the counterweight 61 to be lowered.

The turning of the shaft 63 also causes the sprocket wheel 71 to turn in a counterclockwise direction causing the carriage 191 to begin traveling toward the rear of the car through the chain 75. As the carriage 191 is caused to move toward the rear of the car. the vane 77 causes the carriage 81 in the hatch door mechanism to travel in the aft direction through force exerted on the drive block 83. The rearward movement of the carriage 81 causes the chain 87 to rotate the sprocket wheel 91 in a counterclockwise direction. The shaft 93 causes the sprocket wheel 95 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction also, thereby raising the panel 21 through a force exerted on the support arm 35 by the chain 97. The cable 98 therefore causes the support arm 33 to be moved in a downward direction thereby lowering the panel 23.

As the doors approach the full open position. the cam 205 begins to rotate the cam follower 213 in a clockwise direction. Rotation of the cam follower 213 in the counterclockwise direction causes the open door pattern generator 209 to decelerate the movement ofthe doors. When the car gate has reached the full open position a limit switch within the pattern generator 209 will cut off power to the car door operator 300. The car door operator is a speed controlled mechanism such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,486.

During door closing, the car door operator 300 causes belt 47 to rotate in a clockwise direction thereby lowering the gate 27 and causing the carriage 191 to travel from left to right in FIG. 1. Therefore, during door closing the vane 77 will exert a force against the drive block to cause the carriage 81 to travel from left to right. Forward movement of the carriage 81 causes the chain 97 to raise the lower gate through the support arm 33 and lower the upper panel 21 through the support arm 35 and cable 98.

As the doors and gate approach the fully closed position, the cam 203 engages the cam follower 211. The cam follower 211 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction causing the doors to slow down through the action of the door closed pattern generator 207. When the gate 27 reaches its fully closed position, the cam follower 211 will be in a predetermined position due to the chain linkages with the gate 27. At this predetermined position of the cam follower 211, the close limit switch within the pattern generator 207 will be opened.

As the hatch doors reach the fully closed position, the latching mechanism 271 on top of the carriage 81 engages the locking pin 293. A clearer understanding of the operation of the latching mechanism can be had from referring to FIG. 2. As the vane 77 forces the carriage 81 to the right through drive block 85, the locking pin 293 acting against the diagonal leading edge of the latch hook 273 causes the locking mechanism 271 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction against the force exerted by the spring 281 which is tending to rotate to the latch 271 in the clockwise direction. When the vane 77 has driven the carriage 81 far enough to the right, the latch hook 273 will slide around the locking pin 293 under the influence of the spring 281.

When the latch hook 273 has fully engaged the locking pin 293, the interlock 320 will be activated. The interlock is composed of two vertical posts 321a and 321b fastened to the latch hook 273 which are preferably made of electrically nonconducting material. The two crossbars are connected by an electrically conductive shorting bar 322. On the wall of the hoistway adjacent the locking pin 293 are mounted two leaf contacts 323a and 323b to which are connected electrical leads 324a and 324b. When the latch hook 273 is fully engaged around the locking pin 293, and electrical circuit is completed between the leads 324a and 324b through the leaf contact 323a, shorting bar 322 and leaf contact 323b. The leads 324aand 324b are connected in the control circuit of the hoist motor which drives the elevator up and down in the hoistway. The control circuits are so arranged that the hoistway motor cannot be operated if a circuit is not completed through the interlock. This is a safety measure which prevents operation of the elevator when the doors are not fully closed and locked.

it can be understood that the tolerances between the width of the vane 77 and the opening between the drive blocks 83 and 85 must be such as to allow free movement of the vane 77 through the jaws of the hatch door operator at successive floors. It can therefore be appreciated that since the speed of the doors is reduced to prevent slamming and to provide for quieter operation, that the friction of the system may become sufficient to overcome the momentum of the hatch door mechanism and thereby prevent the hatch doors from coasting that last fraction of an inch necessary to lock the doors.

According to the invention, if the interlock 320 does not indicate that the hatch doors are locked within a predetermined time after the close limit switch in the pattern generator 207 indicates that the gate is closed, the close limit switch is bypassed and the car door operator 300 will continue to drive the belt 47 in a clockwise direction. Since the gate 27 is in the closed position, it cannot travel any further in the downward direction. Slack will buildup in the chain 59 between the support arm 29 and the sprocket wheel'57 as the counterweight 61 is raised. The chain 59 in effect acts as a lost motion connection while the door operator drives beyond the close limit of the car gate. As the slack in the cable 310 is taken up, the weight 312 will maintain tension on the cable through the pulley 311. As the door operator drives in the closed direction, the vane 77 will continue to move forward urging the drive block 85 to the right in FIG. 2 until the latch hook 273 slides around the locking pin 293 to close the interlock 320. The circuit completed by the interlock will cause the torque output from the door operator 300 to slowly diminish to zero. With the torque removed from the wheel 55, the counterweight 61 will cause the sprocket wheel 57 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction until the slack in the chain 59 between the support arm 29 and the sprocket wheel 57 has been taken up. The torque is reduced gradually to prevent the counterweight 61 from dropping and reopening the gate 27. Counterclockwise rotation of the sprocket wheel 57 will cause the vane 77 to back off from the drive block 85. The vane 77 and the counterweight 61 will now be in the position that they were in when the close limit switch was activated.

For an understanding of the electrical circuits associated with the preferred embodiment of the invention, reference should be made to FIG. 3. Although the invention could be shown as applied to a passenger elevator with automatic door operation, it has been shown as applied to a freight elevator installation wherein the doors are typically not automatically opened and closed. It is usual in such installation to require that a button must be held depressed during door closing and opening. In such systems it is therefore necessary to have door close and open switches inside the car as well as at each landlhe circuits illustrated in FIG. 3 are shown in the straight line form conventionally utilized in describing elevator circuits. In such circuit diagrams, coils of electromagnetic relays are shown by symbols such as that labeled 44 in FIG. 3 which is the coil of the door opening relay 44. Break contacts are illustrated as shown by the symbol labeled 44-1 which is the first of the sets of contacts associated with the door opening relay 44. Make contacts are illustrated by the symbol labeled 44-2 which refers to the second set of contacts associated with the door opening relay 44. Energization of a coil is provided when the appropriate contacts complete a circuit through the coil between the busses L and L in some instances, circuits are only to be completed when a car is located at a specific floor. It is conventional in such a circumstance to provide a contact segment on a floor selector for each floor at which a circuit is to be completed. A set of brushes is moved in synchronism with the car in such a manner that they come in contact with the contact segment associated with the floor at which the car is located. In FIG. 3 the car is shown at the first floor so that the brushes aa are shown to be in contact with the contact segment a-l associated with the first floor. Since the doors can be opened and closed at each floor, contact segments for each floor in the building should be provided, however, in interest in saving space, only the contact segments for the first floor, 11-1, and for the top floor, a-T, are illustrated.

Mechanical pressure switches are illustrated by the symbol labeled DOC which represents the door open switch in the elevator car. At times it is desirable that a relay remain energized for a predetermined period of time after the conditions which permit its energization no longer exist. Since such time delays are well known in the art, they are illustrated in FIG. 3 in block diagram form in parallel with the appropriate relay coil.

The door open relay 44 will be energized as long as the door open switch in the elevator car DOC is held depressed if the contacts 32-1 of'the running relay are closed. The 32 relay is the conventional running relay which is energized anytime the hoist motor is energized. Obviously then, the doors can only be opened if the car is not being driven by the hoist motor. The door open relay 44 can also be energized if the door open switch at the landing at which the car is located is depressed. For instance, in the example given, since the car is located at the first floor (brush aa of the floor selector is in contact with the contact segment a-1) the relay 44 will be energized as long as the switch DO-l is depressed.

In a similar manner, the door close relay 43 may be energized as long as the door close switch in the car DCC is held depressed or the door .close button associated with the first floor DC-l is held depressed if the door open relay 44 is not energized (break contacts 44-1 remain closed). if either the door open or door close relays are energized, the control power relay CP will be energized through the make contacts 44-2 or 43-1, respectively. When the door open or door close switches are released, the relay CP will remain energized for approximately three seconds through the time delay circuit shown in parallel with the relay CP.

The positive closing relay PCH can be energizedeither through break contacts 43-2 of the door close relay, breakcontacts 40-1 of the car door closed relay or make contacts 41-1 of the hatch door lock relay. The relay PCH is provided with a time delay in dropout of approximately 1 second.

Power is supplied for the relay X through the break contacts PCH-l of the positive closing relay. These contacts also provide energization for the relay XT through the diode D1. When the contacts PCH-l open, a time delay causes the relay XT to remain energized for approximately 2 seconds while the diode Dl prevents the time delay circuit from delaying dropout of the relay X.

For purposes of illustration, the subject invention is shown as applied to the door control system disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,376,486. Components of this system are illustrated in block diagram form along with components of the master door operator system and appropriate components of the subject invention in the lower half of FIG. 3. According to the system disclosed in the 486 patent, an AC power supply supplies a pulsating DC current to the armature MA of a DC motor through a silicon-controlled rectifier network. Although the system therein disclosed utilized halfwave control, the system is compatible with fullwave control. The AC power supply also supplies power to the control power supply through the transformer T1 and make contacts CP-l of the control power relay CP. The control power supply supplies a DC current for the motor field circuit. The control power supply also supplies a pulsating DC voltage to the open direction control circuit through the break contacts OL-l of the open limit switch and a pulsating DC voltage to the close direction control circuit through the break contacts CL-l of the close limit switch or alternately through the make contacts XT1. A differential amplifier supplies a current to one or the other of the direction control circuits depending upon the polarity of an input signal (PATT.") When the polarity of the PATT." signal is such that the differential amplifier supplies a current to the open direction control circuit, the proper SCRs are fired at the appropriate time as synchronized by the pulses from the control power supply to drive the armature of the motor MA in the proper direction to cause the doors to open. The magnitude of the PATT. signal regulates the firing angle of the SCRs to regulate the speed at which the armature MA is turned.

The -PATT." signal is a resultant of three other signals. One component of the PATT." signal is derived from the motor back EMF bridge circuit which produces a signal having a polarity associated with the direction of rotation of the armature MA and a magnitude proportional to the speed of the motor.

The second component of the PATF' signal is derived from the pattern selector circuit. The pattern selector can select as a component of the PATT. signal, signals generated either by the open door pattern generator or the close door pattern generator, The pattern generators produce a command signal proportional to the desired speed for any position of the doors during movement in the appropriate direction. The cams on the coupling device mounted on the car supply the indication to the pattern generators of the position of the doors. The car coupling device is driven by the motor through the drive assembly which also directly positions the car door or gate. As mentioned previously, the car coupling device coacts with the appropriate hatch coupling device to position the hatch doors. When the hatch door is locked, the circuit is completed to energize the hatch locked relay 41. When the car door or gate is closed, the close limit switch which is a part of the close door pattern generator completes a circuit to energize the car door closed relay 40.

Control of the pattern selector is effected by signals derived through circuits containing contacts of the door open and close relays. Attenuators A1 and A2 are well known components utilized to reduce the strength of signals generated by the relay circuits to levels compatible with the solid state circuits of the pattern selector and to filter out voltage spikes. The pattern selector will only select the open door pattern when the signal supplied by the attenuator Al goes to zero. This will only occur if the break contacts 44-3 of the open door relay and the make contacts 32-2 of the running relay are open. Whenever the open door relay is not energized, the contacts 44-3 will be closed to supply an input to the pattern selector thereby preventing it from selecting the open door pattern. if the car is running the contacts 32-2 will be closed as an added precaution to prevent selection of the open door pattern. On the other hand, the pattern selector will select the closed door pattern only when there is an output from the attenuator A2. This will occur when the make contacts 43-3 of the door close relay 43 are closed.

The PATI. signal during normal door operation is the resultant of the command signal presented by the pattern selector and the speed signal produced by the back EMF bridge circuit. 1f the command signal exceeds the speed signal, the motor is not turning fast enough and the proper SCRs will be fired to cause the door movement to speed up. As the speed signal exceeds the command signal, the resultant PATI'. signal will be such as to cause the proper SCRs to fire so that the motor will be run regeneratively to slow down door movement.

A third PAT1. signal can be derived from the DC voltage source V, through the make contacts X-1, variable resistor R1 and fixed resistors R2 and R3. Capacitor C1 connnected between the fixed resistors R2 and R3 and ground controls the rate of buildup and decay of the predetermined signal generated by this circuit. The maximum value of the signal produced in this manner is determined by the magnitude of the voltage V and the setting of the variable resistor R1.

At this point, a description of a typical operation would be helpful. Assume that the elevator car is standing at the first floor with the doors open and that the operator no longer requiring the services of the elevator desires to close the doors from the landing. Under these conditions, the gate 27 on the car is raised and the carriage 191 of the car coupling device is toward the rear of the car near the sprocket wheel 73. The cam follower 213 is raised by the cam 205 while the cam follower 211 is at its full clockwise position. The vane 77 is in position between the drive blocks 83 and of the carriage 81 of the hatch coupling device which is toward the rear of the hoistway near the sprocket wheel 89. Of course the upper panel 21 of the hatch door is in the full up position while the lower panel 23 is at its lowest point of travel.

When the operator presses the door closed button adjacent the hatch doors at the first floor, the close door relay 43 is energized through the following circuit:

Ll, DC-1, b1, hb, 44-1, 43, L2

Energization of the relay 43 results in closing of the make contacts 43-1 which provide energization for the relay CP. With the contacts CP1 of the CP relay therefore closed, the AC power supply provides energization to the control power supply through the transformer T1. Opening of the break contacts 43-2 has no effect on the system at this time, since the relay PCH remains energized through the break contacts of the car door closed relay 40-1 which of course is deenergized since the car doors are open at this time. The control power supply therefore supplies current to the closed direction control circuit through the close limit switch CL-] and to the motor field circuit. Closure of the contacts 43-3 results in an input to the pattern selector through the attenuator A2. In response, the pattern selector applies the command voltage produced by the close door pattern generator to the PATI'." bus. Since as mentioned the cam follower 211 associated with the closed door pattern generator 207 in FIG. 1 is in the full clockwise position, the maximum pattern signal is applied to the differential amplifier. Since the motor is not turning at this point, the output of the back EMF bridge circuit is zero. Therefore. the differential amplifier supplies a very large signal to the close direction control circuit which causes the SCR circuit to fire the proper SCRs very early in the half cycles so as to supply a large current to drive the armature of the motor MA in the proper direction to close the doors. This results in a large initial torque to be applied by the motor through the master door drive.

The pulley 55 of the drive assembly therefore turns in a clockwise direction causing the sprocket wheel 57 to raise the counterweight 61 and lower the car gate 27 through movement of the chain 59. in addition the pulley 55 turns the shaft 63 and therefore the sprocket wheel 71 in a clockwise direction so that the carriage 191 begins to move forward through action of the chain 75. The vane 77 exerts a force on the drive block 85 of the carriage 81 of the hatch door operator causing the carriage to follow the movement of the vane 77. This results in clockwise rotation of the sprocket wheel 91 through action of the chain 87. The clockwise rotation of the sprocket 91 is transmitted to the sprocket wheel 95 through the shaft 93. This results in at raising of the panel 23 through a force exerted on the support arm 33 by the chain 97. Rotation of the chain 97 permits the upper panel of the hatch door 21 to be lowered due to gravity. This lowering is assisted by the force exerted by the cable 98 which is raised on the left side by the support arm 33.

As the speed of the doors begins to accelerate, a voltage of opposite polarity to that produced by the close door pattern generator is produced in the back EMF bridge circuit. As this occurs, the polarity of the PA'IT." signal remains the same although the magnitude of the signal is reduced. Consequently, the magnitude of the signal presented by the differential amplifier to the close direction control circuit is smaller and therefore the control circuit fires the appropriate SC Rs later in the half cycles of the AC power supply.

As the doors approach the closed position. the camfollower 211 will begin to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction by the cam 203. This will result in a reduction in the magnitude of the control signal supplied by the close door pattern generator. When this voltage is reduced to the point where it is exceeded by the value of the voltage produced by the back EMF bridge circuit, the polarity of the PATT." signal will be reversed. This will cause the differential amplifier to supply a signal to the open direction control circuit rather than to the closed direction control circuit. Under these circumstances, the SCRs which would supply DC pulsesto the armature MA to drive the motor in a direction which would open the doors will be fired. Again, the points in the half cycles of the AC supply voltage when this occurs depends upon the magnitude of the PATT." signal. Under these conditions, the motor will be run regeneratively and the speed of the motor will be rapidly reduced to that dictated by the command signal. The deceleration of the motor will result in the slowing down of the speed at which the doors approach the closed position. The precise control of the speed afforded by this system permits rapid movement of the doors during intermediate travel but eliminate the slamming of the doors.

As the car gate approaches the closed position. the positive mechanical connection through the support arm 29, chain 59. sprocket wheel 57. shaft 63, sprocket wheel 71, chain 75, carriage 191, cam 203 and cam follower 211 results in activation of the indication that the car door is closed, which results in the energization of the relay 40. Further motion activates the close limit switch CL. This results in opening of the contact C L-l of the close limit switch to disconnect the close direction control circuit from the control power supply. This prevents the system from driving the doors any further in the closed direction. Since close door buttonis still depressed at this point, the contacts 43-2 remain open. The opening of the contacts 40-1 results in removal of power for the relay PCH as long as the hatch doorremains unlocked (contacts 41-1 remain open). The relay PCH is not deenergized immediately however, since a time delay circuit will hold the relay in for approximately 1 second. lf the hatch doors lock within that time, the relay 41 will pickup, closing the contacts 41-1 thereby reestablishing the energizing circuit for the relay PCH. This is the normal operation of the system where the alignment of the system and the momentum, however slight, of the doors now moving at a slow speed, is sufficient to drive the carriage 81 the last fraction of an inch required by the tolerances between the vane and the drive blocks 83 and 85 to carry the latch hook 273 over the locking pin 293 so that the spring 281 can pull the latch hook 271 around the pin until the shorting bar 322 contacts the leaf contacts 323a and 323b to complete the circuit for the energization of the hatch locked relay 41.

If the hatch door indicates locked within 1 second after the car door closes, the door closing operation is complete. If however, the relay 41 is not activated within 1 second after the relay 40 due to friction in the system or slight misalignment at a particular floor, the relay PCH will become deenergized. Dropout of the relay PCH results in closing of the break contacts PCH-l thereby energizing the relays X and XT. Energization of the relay XT results in closing of the contacts XT-l thereby restoring control power to the close direction control circuit. Closure of the contacts X-1 results in a buildup in the voltage on the capacitor C l which occurs at a rate determined by the value of the resistor R2 and the setting of the variable resistor R1. The voltage on the capacitor C1 is applied as a PA'IT." signal to the differential amplifier through the resistor R3. The polarity of this signal will be the same as that which would be applied by the signal produced by the close door pattern generator. The differential amplifier will therefore supply a direction current to the closed direction control circuit which will in turn fire the proper SCRs to continue driving the motor in the door closed direction.'The capacitor C1 controls the rate at which the "PATT. signal builds up under these conditions to control the acceleration of the master door drive beyond the close limit.

Since the car gate 27 is fully lowered, continued clockwise rotation of the sprocket wheel 57 results in the appearance of slack in the chain 59 between the sprocket wheel 57 and the support arm 29. At the same time. the counterweight 61 continues to rise with the rotation of the sprocket wheel 57. Since as mentioned, the arm 29 now remains stationary, the raising of the counterweight 61 results in the taking up of the slack in the cable 310 thereby raising the floating pulley 311 and weight 312. Upward travel of the floating pulley 311 is limited by the length of the slot 314 in the support 313.

Continued clockwise rotation of the drive assembly, causes the vane 77 to continue moving forward exerting a force on the drive block of the hatch door coupling thereby urging the hatch doors closed until the latch hook 273 slides around the pin 293 and completes the circuit through the interlock 320. Closing of the interlock indicating that the hatch door is locked, results in energization of the relay 41. Closing of the contacts 41-1 completes a circuit for the reenergization of the relay PCH. Opening of the contacts PCH-l results in immediate deenergization of the relay X. Opening of the con tacts X-l removes the voltage supply V from the overtravel pattern generating circuit. If the voltage produced by this circuit however, were reduced to zero instantaneously, the signal produced by the back EMF bridge circuit due to the speed of the motor at this time would cause the motor to reverse quickly. This added to the falling of the counterweight 61 would result in a severe jolt to the system. However, even though the opening of the contacts Xl instantaneously removes the supply voltage V the capacitor C1 provides a controlled decay in the pattern voltage thereby allowing the counterweight to slowly lower to its normal door closed position without damaging the system. The two second delay in dropout of the relay XT permits the'close direction control circuit to continue to operate and therefore act as the check on the rate at which the counterweight overcomes the torque of the motor.

The lowering of the counterweight to its normal position also results in backing-off the vane 77 to its normal close limit position. It is therefore now in position to move within the tolerances of the system between the jaws of hatch door operators at other landings. When the 2 second time delay on the relay XT expires, the contacts XT-l will open to remove power from the close direction control circuit. lt should be appreciated at this time that the close limit switch will still be closed so that repeated or continued activation of the door close switch will have no effect on the system. 3 seconds after the door close switch is released the relay CPwill dropout to open the contact CP1 discontinuing power to the control power supply and therefore to the motor field circuit. The 3 second delay in dropout of the relay CP is provided so that if at any time during door operation the door close or door open switch is released; the system will come to a rapid stop which is required for safe operation. Premature removal of the control power supply voltage would allow the doors to run too long due to momentum.

We claim:

1. A closure control system comprising, a first structure having a doorway, a door for closing and exposing said doorway, a second structure, means for moving one structure with respect to the other structure, drive means mounted on said second structure, coupling means coupling the drive means on the second structure to the door means on the first structure when said structures are in predetermined positions with respect to each other in order that said drive means when activated is operative to open and close said door, first limit means operative from'a first to a second condition when said coupling means reaches a predetermined point of travel while moving said door in a first direction, second limit means operative from a first to a second condition when said door means reaches a predetermined point of travel in the first direction, control means for activating the drivevmeans to move said door means in the first direction upon command, said control'means including means to discontinue activation of said drive means when said first and second limit means are operated to said second conditions, and return means for returning said coupling means to the point at which said first limit means was activated to said second condition when the second limit means is activated to the second condition after the first limit means is activated to the second condition,

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said control means includes means to discontinue activation of said drive means when said first limit means is operated to said first condition and means to reactivate said drive means to continue driving the door in the first direction when the second limit means is not operated to the second condition within a predetermined time after the first limit means is operated to said second condition.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the door is in the closed position when second limit means is operated to the second condition.

4. The system of claim 3 including locking means for locking said door in the closed position and wherein said second limit means cannot be operated to said second condition unless said locking means is in locking condition.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the control means includes means to activate the drive means to control the speed of the door according to a predetermined pattern such that the speed of the door approaches zero as said first limit means is operated to said second condition and wherein the reactivating means includes means to control the speed of the door when driving the door with the first limit means in the second condition.

6. Master door operating means for a vehicular system comprising a structure having a doorway at each of a plurality of landings, hatch door means for each of a plurality of said doorways, a vehicle mounted for movement relative to the structure to serve the landings, said vehicle having an entranceway, vehicle door means mounted for movement to close and expose said entranceway, master door drive means mounted on said vehicle and connected to said vehicle door means, coupling means coupling the master door drive means to the hatch door means at the landing adjacent the position of the vehicle whereby said master door drive means is operative to open and close the vehicle door means and the hatch door means adjacent the vehicle substantially simultaneously vehicle door closed indicating means operative from a first to a second condition when said vehicle door means is closed, hatch door closed indicating means associated with each hatch door means operative from a first to a second condition to indicate closure of the associated hatch door means, means to terminate the operation of the master door drive means when one of the door closed, indicating means indicates that the associated door is closed, and means responsive to the failure of the other door closed indicating means to operate to said second condition within a predetermined time after the one door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition to cause the master door drive means to continue driving in the door close direction until both of said door closed indicating means are operated to said second condition.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said one door closed indicating means is the vehicle door closed indicating means and the other door closed indicating means is the hatch door closed indicating means and wherein said vehicle door means is mounted to permit travel in the closed direction beyond the point at which the vehicle door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition and including biasing means for mg the vehicle door means to the position at which said vehicle door closed indicating means is operated from said first to second condition whereby said vehicle door means may be driven beyond the normal closed position by the master door drive means until said hatch door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition and whereby said biasing means returns the vehicle door means and the car mounted portion of the coupling means to the position at which said vehicle door closed indicating means is operated from said first to second condition after said hatch door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the one door closed indicating means is the vehicle door closed indicating means, and the other door closed indicating means is the hatch door closed indicating means and wherein the connection between the master door drive means and the vehicle door means includes a lost motion connection operative when said vehicle door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition to permit said master door drive means to continue driving said hatch door means in the door close direction until the hatch door closed means is operated to said second condition while said vehicle door means remains stationary.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the hatch door closed indicating means includes hatch door locking means which must be in locking condition in order for the hatch door closed indicating means to be operated to the second condition.

10. The system of claim 9 including return means to return the master drive means and thereby the coupling means to the point at which the slack in said lost motion connection is taken up after the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition.

11. The system of claim 10 including means to control the speed of the master door drive means according to a predetermined pattern such that the speed of the master door drive means approaches zero as the vehicle door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition, said system including means to control the speed of the master drive means when driving in the door close direction with the vehicle door closed indicating means in the second condition and also including means to control the rate at which said return means takes up the slack in said lost motion connection after the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the return means comprises a counterweight for said vehicle door means, said counterweight being lifted by said master drive means while driving in the door close direction with the vehicle door closed, said counterweight being permitted to descend under the influence of gravity to effect the return motion when the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for controlling the rate at which the counterweight takes up the slack in the lost motion connection after the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition, includes means to apply a slowly decaying close door control signal to the master door drive means.

14. A method of positively closing a hatch door in an elevator system having a hatchway with a doorway and a hatch door mounted for movement to close and expose said doorway, a car movable in the hatchway and having an entranceway closed and exposed by a car door, said system also having car mounted coupling means through which the hatch door is mechanically operable between the closed and open position which method comprises the steps of applying a force to the car mounted coupling means to close the hatch door, simultaneously applying a force to the car door to close the car door, terminating the application of the forces upon arrival of the car door at the closed position, comparing the order of closure of the doors, reapplying the closing forces to complete closure of the hatch door if the hatch door is partially open after closure of the car door and terminating the reapplication of the closing forces when the hatch door is closed.

15. The method of claim 14 including waiting a predetermined period of time after the car door reaches the closed position before reapplying the closing forces to complete closure of the hatch door and also including locking the hatch door when it reaches the closed position.

16. Master door operating means for a vehicular system comprising a structure having a doorway at each of a plurality of landings, hatch door means for each of a plurality of said doorways, a vehicle 'mounted for movement relative to the structure to serve the landings, said vehicle having an entranceway, vehicle door means mounted for movement to close and expose said entranceway, master door drive means mounted on said vehicle, coupling means for coupling the master door drive means to the vehicle door means and the hatch door means at the landing adjacent the position of the vehicle, said coupling means including means for applying a force to both of said coupled door means simultaneously during door closure until one door means is fully closed and including means to thereafter independently apply a closing force to the other door means until said other door means is fully closed.

17. The master door operating means of claim 16 wherein said coupling means comprises first connecting means connecting the master door drive means to the vehicle door and second connecting means connecting the master door drive means to the hatch door means adjacent the position of the vehicle and wherein one of said connecting means includes a lost motion connection which permits the master drive means to continue driving in the door closed direction after the associated door has reached the fully closed position until the other door reaches the fully closed position.

l8. Master door operating means for a vehicular system comprising a structure having a doorway at each of a plurality of landings, hatch door means for each of a plurality of said doorways, a vehicle mounted for movement relative to the structure to serve the landings, said vehicle having an entranceway. vehicle door means mounted for'movement to close and expose said entranceway, master door drive means mounted on said vehicle and connected to the vehicle door means, coupling means for connecting the master door drive means to the hatch door means adjacent the position of the vehicle, overtravel means associated with one of the door means connected to the master drive means for permitting said one door means to be driven beyond the fully closed position by the master drive means when said one door means reaches the fully closed position before the other door means.

19. The master door operating means of claim 18 wherein said one door means is the vehicle door means and wherein the coupling means is connected to the vehicle door means and has a neutral position at which the vehicle mounted portion of the coupling means has running clearance between the hatch door mounted portion of the coupling means at each landing as the vehicle moves between landings, said master door operating means including biasing means for biasing said vehicle door means to the fully closed position whereby the vehicle door means is returned to the fully closed position from the overtravel position and the vehicle mounted portion of the coupling means is returned to the neutral position after the hatch door means is fully closed.

20v The master door operating means of claim 19 wherein the overtravel means and the biasing means comprises'a resilient deformable energy storing material which deforms and stores mechanical energy when the vehicle door means is driven beyond the fully closed position and which releases said stored energy by returning to its original configuration thereby returning the vehicle door to the fully closed position after power is removed from the master drive means. 

1. A closure control system comprising, a first structure having a doorway, a door for closing and exposing said doorway, a second structure, means for moving one structure with respect to the other structure, drive means mounted on said second structure, coupling means coupling the drive means on the second structure to the door means on the first structure when said structures are in predetermined positions with respect to each other in order that said drive means when activated is operative to open and close said door, first limit means operative from a first to a second condition when said coupling means reaches a predetermined point of travel while moving said door in a first direction, second limit means operative from a first to a second condition when said door means reaches a predetermined point of travel in the first direction, control means for activating the drive means to move said door means in the first direction upon command, said control means including means to discontinue activation of said drive means when said first and second limit means are operated to said second conditions, and return means for returning said coupling means to the point at which said first limit means was activated to said second condition when the second limit means is activated to the second condition after the first limit means is activated to the second condition.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said control means includes means to discontinue activation of said drive means when said first limit means is operated to said first condition and means to reactivate said drive means to continue driving the door in the first direction when the second limit means is not operated to the second condition within a predetermined time after the first limit means is operated to said second condition.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the door is in the closed position when second limit means is operated to the second condition.
 4. The system of claim 3 including locking means for locking said door in the closed position and wherein said second limit means cannot be operated to said second condition unless said locking means is in locking condition.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the control means includes means to activate the drive means to control the speed of the door according to a predetermined pattern such that the speed of the door approaches zero as said first limit means is operated to said second condition and wherein the reactivating means includes means to control the speed of the door when driving the door with the first limit means in the second condition.
 6. Master door operating means for a vehicular system comprising a structure having a doorway at each of a plurality of landings, hatch door means for each of a plurality of said doorways, a vehicle mounted for movement relative to the structure to serve the landings, said vehicle having an entranceway, vehicle door means mounted for movement to close and expose said entranceway, master door drive means mounted on said vehicle and connected to said vehicle door means, coupling means coupling the master door drive means to the hatch door means at the landing adjacent the position of the vehicle whereby said master door drive means is operative to open and close the vehicle door means and the hatch door means adjacent the vehicle substantially simultaneously vehicle door closed indicating means operative from a first to a second condition when said vehicle door means is closed, hatch door closed indicating means associated with each hatch door means operative from a first to a second condition to indicate closure of the associated hatch door means, means to terminate the operation of the master door drive means when one of the door closed, indicating means indicates that the associated door is closed, and means responsive to the failure of the other door closed indicating means to operate to said second condition within a predetermined time after the one door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition to cause the master door drive means to continue driving in the door close direction until both of said door closed indicating means are operated to said second condition.
 7. The system of claim 6 wherein said one door closed indicating means is the vehicle door closed indicating means and the other door closed indicating means is the hatch door closed indicating means and wherein said vehicle door means is mounted to permit travel in the closed direction beyond the point at which the vehicle door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition anD including biasing means for biasing the vehicle door means to the position at which said vehicle door closed indicating means is operated from said first to second condition whereby said vehicle door means may be driven beyond the normal closed position by the master door drive means until said hatch door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition and whereby said biasing means returns the vehicle door means and the car mounted portion of the coupling means to the position at which said vehicle door closed indicating means is operated from said first to second condition after said hatch door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition.
 8. The system of claim 6 wherein the one door closed indicating means is the vehicle door closed indicating means, and the other door closed indicating means is the hatch door closed indicating means and wherein the connection between the master door drive means and the vehicle door means includes a lost motion connection operative when said vehicle door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition to permit said master door drive means to continue driving said hatch door means in the door close direction until the hatch door closed means is operated to said second condition while said vehicle door means remains stationary.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein the hatch door closed indicating means includes hatch door locking means which must be in locking condition in order for the hatch door closed indicating means to be operated to the second condition.
 10. The system of claim 9 including return means to return the master drive means and thereby the coupling means to the point at which the slack in said lost motion connection is taken up after the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition.
 11. The system of claim 10 including means to control the speed of the master door drive means according to a predetermined pattern such that the speed of the master door drive means approaches zero as the vehicle door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition, said system including means to control the speed of the master drive means when driving in the door close direction with the vehicle door closed indicating means in the second condition and also including means to control the rate at which said return means takes up the slack in said lost motion connection after the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to said second condition.
 12. The system of claim 11 wherein the return means comprises a counterweight for said vehicle door means, said counterweight being lifted by said master drive means while driving in the door close direction with the vehicle door closed, said counterweight being permitted to descend under the influence of gravity to effect the return motion when the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein the means for controlling the rate at which the counterweight takes up the slack in the lost motion connection after the hatch door closed indicating means is operated to the second condition, includes means to apply a slowly decaying close door control signal to the master door drive means.
 14. A method of positively closing a hatch door in an elevator system having a hatchway with a doorway and a hatch door mounted for movement to close and expose said doorway, a car movable in the hatchway and having an entranceway closed and exposed by a car door, said system also having car mounted coupling means through which the hatch door is mechanically operable between the closed and open position which method comprises the steps of applying a force to the car mounted coupling means to close the hatch door, simultaneously applying a force to the car door to close the car door, terminating the application of the forces upon arrival of the car door at the closed position, comparing the order of closure of the doors, reapplying the closing forces to complete cLosure of the hatch door if the hatch door is partially open after closure of the car door and terminating the reapplication of the closing forces when the hatch door is closed.
 15. The method of claim 14 including waiting a predetermined period of time after the car door reaches the closed position before reapplying the closing forces to complete closure of the hatch door and also including locking the hatch door when it reaches the closed position.
 16. Master door operating means for a vehicular system comprising a structure having a doorway at each of a plurality of landings, hatch door means for each of a plurality of said doorways, a vehicle mounted for movement relative to the structure to serve the landings, said vehicle having an entranceway, vehicle door means mounted for movement to close and expose said entranceway, master door drive means mounted on said vehicle, coupling means for coupling the master door drive means to the vehicle door means and the hatch door means at the landing adjacent the position of the vehicle, said coupling means including means for applying a force to both of said coupled door means simultaneously during door closure until one door means is fully closed and including means to thereafter independently apply a closing force to the other door means until said other door means is fully closed.
 17. The master door operating means of claim 16 wherein said coupling means comprises first connecting means connecting the master door drive means to the vehicle door and second connecting means connecting the master door drive means to the hatch door means adjacent the position of the vehicle and wherein one of said connecting means includes a lost motion connection which permits the master drive means to continue driving in the door closed direction after the associated door has reached the fully closed position until the other door reaches the fully closed position.
 18. Master door operating means for a vehicular system comprising a structure having a doorway at each of a plurality of landings, hatch door means for each of a plurality of said doorways, a vehicle mounted for movement relative to the structure to serve the landings, said vehicle having an entranceway, vehicle door means mounted for movement to close and expose said entranceway, master door drive means mounted on said vehicle and connected to the vehicle door means, coupling means for connecting the master door drive means to the hatch door means adjacent the position of the vehicle, overtravel means associated with one of the door means connected to the master drive means for permitting said one door means to be driven beyond the fully closed position by the master drive means when said one door means reaches the fully closed position before the other door means.
 19. The master door operating means of claim 18 wherein said one door means is the vehicle door means and wherein the coupling means is connected to the vehicle door means and has a neutral position at which the vehicle mounted portion of the coupling means has running clearance between the hatch door mounted portion of the coupling means at each landing as the vehicle moves between landings, said master door operating means including biasing means for biasing said vehicle door means to the fully closed position whereby the vehicle door means is returned to the fully closed position from the overtravel position and the vehicle mounted portion of the coupling means is returned to the neutral position after the hatch door means is fully closed.
 20. The master door operating means of claim 19 wherein the overtravel means and the biasing means comprises a resilient deformable energy storing material which deforms and stores mechanical energy when the vehicle door means is driven beyond the fully closed position and which releases said stored energy by returning to its original configuration thereby returning the vehicle door to the fully closed position after power is removed from the master drive means. 